There are 171 days until the start of the 2026 World Cup, the most important national team tournament in international soccer, which will be hosted in a historic fashion by Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The world’s best national teams will compete not only to lift the World Cup trophy, but also for a record-breaking prize purse awarded by FIFA.
For this edition, the world football governing body confirmed a historic increase in the prize pool, surpassing what was awarded at Qatar 2022.
FIFA announces record prize money for the 2026 World Cup
Thru an official statement, FIFA announced that the total financial distribution for the 2026 World Cup will amount to $727 million, an unprecedented figure in the history of the World Cup.
Of the total:
- $655 million will be allocated exclusively to sports prizes.
- This represents a 50% increase compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The expansion of the tournament to 48 teams also influenced the increase in financial incentives.
All countries will receive money, even if they don’t make progress
Although only one team will be crowned world champion, all participating teams will receive financial compensation.
To begin with, the 48 qualified countries will each receive .5 million to cover preparation, logistics, and participation costs, regardless of their on-field performance.
How much money does the 2026 World Cup champion earn?
The 2026 World Cup-winning team will take home $50 million, in addition to the sporting prestige that comes with winning the World Cup. Below is the full breakdown of the prize money by position:
- Champion: $50 million
- Runner-up: $33 million
- Third place: 9 million
- Fourth place: 7 million
- 5th to 8th place: 9 million
- 9th to 16th place: 5 million
- 17th to 32nd place: 1 million
- 33rd to 48th place: $9 million
The 2026 World Cup will be the first in history to be held simultaneously in three countries (Mexico, the United States, and Canada—and will mark a before-and-after moment both in sports and in economic terms.
